September 18, 2013

GOP Unveils Yet Another Health Care Non-Plan


Ed Kilgore previews today’s release of a shiny new Republican healthcare plan to replace Obamacare:

SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT

WORLD EXCLUSIVE MUST CREDIT POLITICAL ANIMAL

Through carefully cultivated sources in my own cerebellum, I’m able to reveal the mysterious House conservative health care plan:

High-risk pools, HSAs, tax credits, interstate insurance sales, “tort reform,” “entitlement reform.”

OK, smartypants, let’s just compare that to reality. Here’s the actual plan:

  • Spurs competition to lower health care costs by allowing Americans to purchase health insurance across state lines….
  • Reforms medical malpractice laws….
  • Provides tax reform that allows families and individuals to deduct health care costs….
  • Expands access to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)….
  • Safeguards individuals with pre-existing conditions … by bolstering state-based high risk pools….
  • Protects the unborn by ensuring no federal funding of abortions.

Hah! You didn’t mention that last one, Ed. What makes this plan unique and exciting is its ban on federal funding for abortion. Boo-yah!

Anyway, that’s it. Same old, same old. You may now go about your business and ignore the latest healthcare non-plan from conservatives, just as you can ignore the latest tax reform non-plan from conservatives. In fact, why don’t you just take the whole day off?

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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